Gaddafi's Son, Saif Al-Islam, Kept In Isolation And Attacked In Custody In Libya, Say ICC Lawyers

Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Attacked In Custody

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's defence counsel have called for the son of former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi to be moved to the Hague, saying that he is being held in isolation and has been attacked in Libya.

Lawyers from the International Criminal Court in Holland have said that Saif-al-Islam is being kept in a "legal black hole" in "near total isolation" and has been beaten and deprived of his rights.

"He also suffers pain due to the absence of dental treatment. The Libyan authorities have failed to take any steps to remedy this pain by according Mr Gaddafi the medical and dental treatment ordered by the chamber almost a month ago." says an emailed statement from the counsel for his defence.

The ICC has been trying to extradite Saif al-Islam Gaddafi from where he is being held by militia in the mountainous region of Zintan in Libya since his capture in 2011.

They have been locked in a battle with the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) who argue that the most high profile son of Colonel Gaddafi should be tried on Libyan soil, where he could face the death penalty.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been held for 139 days without hearing any charges or being brought before a judge. His lawyers claim that he has been told he would be tried for minor charges including the absence of a camel licence and fish farm "irregularities" as there was not enough evidence to charge him for war crimes.

The ICC is calling for Saif Gaddafi to be handed over to be tried for "crimes against humanity", insisting that Libya's current infrastructure is too chaotic to offer the 39-year-old former military leader a fair trial.

The NTC in Tripoli have said that they will set up a special court to try the former heir of Gaddafi, after the brutal killing of his father.

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